May The Bridges
by Etaoin
Summary: A mystical being, tired of all the fighting and strife on planet Earth, decides to take it upon herself to bestow one change upon each of Earth's mightiest heroes and their nemesis...whether they welcome the change or not. Chaos ensues. All characters featured. No slash.
1. Chapter 1

Title: May The Bridges

Rating: T (for mild swearing and violence.)

Pairings: Not the focus here, folks. I guess there is some mentions of BlackHawk, if you're really interested.

Summary: A mystical being, tired of all the fighting and strife on planet Earth, decides to take it upon herself to bestow one change upon each of Earth's mightiest heroes...whether they welcome the change or not.

**OoOoOoO**

Somewhere unimaginable, in a mist surrounded by an inconceivably bright and pure light, a quiet being sits atop a spire peering into a simmering cauldron, a frown upon her ethereal face as flashes of a battle swirl before her.

A black-haired man, his face marred with anger and hatred to cover up the overwhelming sadness that exists in his soul, is wielding a long weapon at a group of super beings.

A man of iron makes jokes to diffuse the situation but what is evident in his soul is not laughter but regret over past mistakes.

A young woman, blank on the outside is stricken by the same emptiness on the inside as she stands to the side with her arms crossed, eyes taking in everything but betraying nothing.

A man of many arrows suffers the same affliction of soul as the female he keeps allowing his gaze to linger upon.

A blonde haired man stands out-of-place staring up in regret at the black haired man, sadness clouding his eyes as he hides his tears.

A red, white, and blue man stands before the others, shield raised to protect his friends, a burden of seriousness tainting his aura.

A large green monster stands poised to the side, hiding a gentle being beneath the angry exterior of a beast, but it is clear the one cannot exist without the other.

The being runs her fingers through the cauldron, blurring the images until the colors swirl to form one abstract image. She tilts her head and comes to a decision. It has been a long time since she has visited the distant planet.

It is time.

**OoOoOoO**

Manhattan was cold for October. There was a strong chill in the air as people hustled about carrying packages and briefcases, purses and iphones, moving along with their normal, ordinary day-to-day lives while in a state of oblivion to more sinister happenings nearby. In the center of the city stood a tall tower, a giant letter "A" emblazoned across the side, a beacon of hope to those in need, a warning to those who may wish to bring about harm.

Unfortunately, on this particular day, there was one who choose not to take heed of the warning and thus, a seemingly young man with raven-hair and emerald eyes stood at the top of the tower wielding a magical scepter and looking, for all intended purposes, as if out to start a murderous rampage.

"Really, reindeer games? Isn't this whole I'm-going-to-try-to-take-over-the-universe bit getting a little old? Maybe if you just asked nicely, we'd be willing to share our things! What is it you need this time? Money? Missle? Doomsday device? Fresh out of the last one I'm afraid but.." Tony snarked through his endless tirade of wit until he was cut off by Steve's voice.

"Do you ever shut up?" The Captain leveled Tony with a gaze that could potentially melt through his Iron Man suit should it some how become weaponized. Tony added that to his list of things to investigate at a later date.

"Loki, stop this madness. We have defeated you once already! Do you not see the madness behind your actions?" Thor called out to his younger brother, refusing to think of the other as anything other than a cherished sibling despite their different parentage.

"Oh, Odinson, I do tire of the wasted words that spew forth from your lips. You would do well to silence your tongue before I cut it from your mouth!" Loki raises his scepter to shoot forth an attack that never comes. As soon as his hand raises, it is frozen in place. In fact, his entire body seems rooted to the spot, unable to move even the smallest muscle.

Thor rushes forward, worry for his brother outweighing everything else in his mind, until he to, is frozen mid-stride. The rest of The Avengers follow, quickly becoming living, breathing, statues of themselves, unable to move but able to hear and see everything that goes on before them.

A moment passes and then another. Time stretches and then stops all together. The Avenger statues remain unmoving and unchanging and then suddenly, a bright light appears before them. A woman, seemingly made of mist, with long flowing silver hair and eyes the color of midnight, steps forth from the light and slowly takes a more solid form until she is standing before them as if she were a being from their own realm. She circles her pray, eying them innocently, she approaches each once and then circles again. "I have come to this realm to both greet you and to repair the damage in each of your souls. I have watched you from afar and have judged that each of you are in need of redemption. I believe you shall find the gifts I bestow upon you shall help you all as you strive to heal the wounds in your hearts."

The woman stops in front of Tony and runs her hand along the arm of his iron suit, "Tony Stark, full of sadness and regret over your past actions. Hiding behind your words and your suit of Iron. So keen to sacrifice your life and greet death like an old friend. Two weeks shall pass with no wit upon your tongue and no suit of iron upon your body. Come to terms with your past so that you may be more unwilling to forfeit your future."

She continues her path until she is standing nose to nose with Widow. The woman is much taller than the agent but not nearly as menacing. She places her hand on the red head's shoulder and speaks while looking deeply into her eyes, "Natasha Romanoff. The Black Widow has a black heart incapable of love and emotion You believe it makes you strong, I believe it makes you weak. Two weeks shall pass and you shall love all those you meet. Learn to live with emotion, learn the strength of love, and the weakness of solitude."

She continues, stopping when she reaches Hulk. She places her hand on his and he slowly shrinks back into the frumpy doctor, clothing returning to protect his modesty. "Bruce Banner, full of kindness in mortal skin, full of rage in the skin of a beast. Two sides of a coin that cannot live without one another. I bestow upon you the gift of control. Call the beast forth only to help your fellow man. Allow it to remain dormant when all is safe and good. You are a man of love and kindness. Heal your soul of past transgressions and protect those who need it the most."

She smiles sadly at the doctor before continuing once more. She halts in front of the Thunder God and takes his outstretched, frozen hand in her own. "Thor Odinson, such belief you hold in those that don't earn it, that it hurts you down to your core when that trust is broken. Yet your belief in those who have wronged you returns once again. Two weeks shall pass and you shall know only truth, recognize all lies, and be better prepared to protect yourself from those who shall wrong you with words instead of weapons."

She move again, only a few feet this time, to stop in front of The Captain. She places her hand gently over his heart and speaks quietly, "Steve Rogers, overly serious in action with a sadness in your soul. You shall learn what it is like to live carefree, to laugh without remorse, to love without regret. Two weeks shall past and you shall worry less, laugh more, and embrace fun. Enjoy this time and learn from it so the weight of the world is not cast solely on your shoulders."

Her trek continues until she pauses in front of Hawkeye, As with Steve, she places her hand softly over his heart. "Clint Barton, solitude and anger rules your life. Emotions hidden, kindness often lost. Cast off bitterness and let in light. Two weeks shall pass and you shall feel the sorrows, the love, the kindness, and the pain of those around you. You shall learn to wield empathy as well as you wield your arrow."

She turns now and glides towards the dark figure standing alone, his scepter still raised, a look of fury frozen on his face. She stands before him the longest, staring at his face, before she cups it gently between her hands. "Loki who believes he does not deserve the name of Odinson, sad and alone for so long, hell bound and broken. Return to the age of happiness last felt, and live anew Teach those around you of the goodness of your soul that has been forgotten and left to rot for so long. I cast you out of the shadow and into the light. Do not waste this chance." She strokes he thumbs across his pale cheeks before stepping make to face them all. "Do not waste these opportunities. I shall return if my presence is needed and of that I shall be the judge. Let my will be done!"

The light that emanates from the woman is so bright that it blinds temporarily all those in its presence. As it slowly fades, the Avenger statues once again become living, breathing, moving, super heroes. Six pairs of eyes dart around nervously awaiting the first move.

It is Natasha who cracks first...with a squeal of delight. "Oh my God! Did you see how pretty she was! I wish I could have hair like that! I wish she's come back so we could be friends forever and ever!" The normally composed agent is grinning with so much delight that she is literally bouncing for joy in a most-unlike-the-Black Widow sort of way.

Beside her, Clint claps his ends in merriment, "That was so much fun! I agree with Tasha! I hope she comes back soon!"

Steve runs to Clint's side and claps along with him, "I know, right! She really has a knack for magic! And that light...wow! I'd really like to see that again!"

Tony narrows his eyes in confusion as he tries to think of something clever to say. When nothing is forthcoming, as if a wall is blocking his tongue from the wit in his brain, he grumbles under his breath and moves to stand near Thor and Bruce, both of whom are acting less crazy than the Captain and the Shield agents.

Bruce, always the sensible one, pulls his cell phone from his rematerialized pants and speed dials Nick Fury. He quickly informs him of the happenings of the last ten minutes or so before enabling a video link that allows the agent to view everyone on the roof. "What the hell is wrong with you people!"

"Oh! Hi, Nick! We've missed you!" Natasha squeaks happily as Clint and Steve high-five each other and throw around all sorts of thumbs up gestures towards the camera.

"What the hell is wrong with Romanoff?"

Thor steps forward slowly as his eyes take in every movement around him, "Loki? Where are you brother?"

"uh...I don't think Natasha is our only problem." Bruce clears his throat and motions towards a spot behind a wall a few meters away. A pile of green cloth, leather, and metal lay on the ground where there once stood a raven-haired, crazed, super villain.

"Where the hell..." Fury began loudly but was interrupted by Bruce clearing his throat again, his finger pointing towards a spot behind the wall. There he spots the raven-hair, bright green eyes, thin-pointed noise...on the face of a seven-year-old child.

"Oh son of a bitch!"


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks for the reviews and favorites! Small note...I realize Natasha is out of character...it's the  
"spell" and will progressively wear off as the story continues (as will Tony's silence...I love writing his snark too much to let him stay quiet for long!).

**OoOoOoO**

It took Nick Fury one hour to arrive at the mansion. He strode in, a litany of S.H.I.E.L.D agents in tow, a tornado of anger amidst an already chaotic scene. Tests had been run, debriefings had been performed, readings had been taken...but all that could be determined was that nothing could be determined. The being left behind no trace that she was ever there...except for six oddly behaved super heroes and one miniaturized-super villain.

The Avengers sat around a conference table in their mansion acting for all the world, completely out of character. Tony Stark sat quietly, a scowl on his face replacing the usual snark poring out of his mouth. Steve Rogers sat next to him, a small smile playing about his lips as he took in his surroundings with wide, wistful eyes. Every so often he would try to engage a passing agent in conversation about the beauty of the world around them.

Next to the Captain sat the notorious Black Widow but, the smile on her face was so completely out of place that she hardly resembled the hard-hearted Natasha Romanoff at all. The agent was twisting her red hair between her fingers and doodling pictures of puppies and rainbows on a sheet of paper in front of her. Tony periodically glared at her, unable to speak the snarky comments that were bursting in his brain.

Bruce Banner was the only member of the team who didn't sit at the table. Instead, he stood by a long row of windows, leaning against the wall, and staring at the long view down to the ground. His knitted brows told the others that he was deep in thought and didn't wish to be disturbed.

Thor the Thunder God sat at the end of the table, his arms crossed angrily across his chest. Clint Barton, who sat next to the God, held a similar pose and glared angrily at anyone who passed by the heroes. Thor suddenly slapped his hand against the table, gaining everyone's attention, "Where is my brother! I wish to speak with him!"

"That's not going to happen right now." Fury spoke in a overly placating tone but it was still quite evident that his anger was only barely contained, "We have no way of knowing whether or not Loki is behind this."

"My brother is a great many things but he would certainly never reduce himself to the form of a child barely off of the breast." Thor stood, anger spilling forth.

"That's perhaps a little too much infor...you know what? Nevermind." Steve began but quieted himself at the glare Thor and Fury both threw him.

Next to him, Clint nodded his agreement. "That is definitely not Loki's style. Where is he?"

"That is really none of your concern..."

"None of our concern!" Thor boomed, "He is my brother and a Prince of Asgard! If I must, I will forcefully gain access to him!"

"You can certainly try but..."

"Oh, come now, Nick. Let him see his brother! What harm could that cute little boy do anyway?" Natasha piped up, batting her long eyelashes at her boss.

"What the..." Fury cut himself off this time, deciding upon second thought that ignoring that super spy was probably the best way to cope with the changes in his agent. "Loki is fine. He's being spoken to by some of our best agents."

"Then you wouldn't mind Thor here sitting in on the conversation." Bruce finally piped in from his spot by the window. "If you want to keep everyone happy, it's probably best to give in to this request." Bruce gestured towards Thor and Clint, who were both angrily staring at the head of S.H.I.E.L.D as if they could potentially solve all of the world's problems by flattening him with the Thunder God's hammer.

Fury glared back, "You don't even like Loki, Hawk. Get that look off your face."

"Thor likes Loki and that...seems to be enough for some reason." He trailed off, confusion evident in his eyes. The spell cast upon him sending his mind into a tailspin, just as a similar spell had sent his mind in a tailspin many months before.

"Look, we're all a little stressed right now. Thor, you can see that your brother is not being harmed but then you need to allow us to question him so that we can get to the bottom of this. I can't have my team of heroes drawing cutesy pictures or staring off into lala land and I'm not even going to mention whatever the hell is wrong with Stark. Actually, I'm glad whatever happened seems to have silenced his flapping mouth for a little while but besides that, we need to reverse this quickly."

"Agreed, Man of Fury. Now you will take me to my brother so that we may work quickly to reverse whatever trickery has been cast upon us!"

**OoOoOoO**

Loki had no idea what was happening or where he was. Strange men and women in strange clothes were speaking to him about something he could not understand but their faces were so angry and that anger was directed entirely at him. He wanted to cry but Thor had told him but a few days again that he was too old now for such nonsense so instead, he bit down on his lip and tried desperately to make sense of what the man currently speaking was asking him about.

"How did you pull this off, Loki? Boredom get to you that badly that you had to screw with the Avengers instead of just trying to take them out? Backfired a little didn't it, half-pint?"

"I do not know of what you speak." The mini-villain spoke quietly but managed to keep all hints of fear and sadness out of his voice.

"You've said that already, try a new answer!"

"I...do not know of what you speak."

The crack against his jaw was both powerful and surprising. The man slapped him..._hard. _He could feel blood leaking from the place above his lip where the man's ring had connected with his face. It only took a moment for his eyes to well up with silent tears that spilled down his cheeks. _Where was his mother? Father? Thor? Would no one come for him? Who were these people and why were they so angry? _ He couldn't remember being bad...not this time. Thor was going to be angry that he was crying and that knowledge sent more tears spilling from his eyes.

"Brother?" A loud booming voice sounded from down the hallway and instinctively he recoiled further into the couch cushions.

"Hide all you want, you little shit. He'll give you worse than I did." The angry agent smirked at the boy as he cowered away in fear.

"Brother?" A blonde-haired man wearing the armor of Asgard entered the room followed by a few other individuals...a dark man with an eye patch, a stern looking man with dark hair and a light upon his chest, and a smaller man who carried a large bow and quiver of arrows. The others didn't matter much to him at the moment though as his eyes fixed on the man in the armor. "Brother! Who has done this to you?"

_Brother?_ Thor was his brother, not this large warrior with his angry scowl and booming voice. More tears sprang to his eyes at the thought of his big brother and over the confusion that was making his stomach hurt. He remained silent however, not answering the warrior's question and not lending a single sound to his tears.

The man suddenly let a large hammer slide down into the palm of his hand, "I shall destroy the one who dare to attack a Prince of Asgard!"

The man who had hit him, suddenly grabbed him about the middle and drew him against his chest, squeezing hard enough for it to knock the breath out of the small lungs. "Now, Thor...let's speak about this. No one laid a hand on him. He tripped on his way into the room."

Thor's eyes went wide for a moment as what felt like a slight electric shock traveled up the length of his spine. Instinctively he knew the reason why...the woman's spell. The man was lying. His eyes narrowed menacingly. "You dare lay hands on a Prince of Asgard and then feed me lies about it! Unhand him immediately and I shall not end your life!"

Beside the warrior, the archer drew an arrow and armed his bow, keeping it lowered by his side. "Do you think you can destroy a God, even a small one, before this arrow lands between your eyes?"

"Gentlemen, that's enough." Fury stepped forward, "Agent Daniels, let him go. Agent Barton, Thor, stand down. We've had more than enough excitement for the day and I really don't feel like cleaning up another mess!"

Daniels complied with the Director's commands and placed Loki down on his feet in the center of the room. Thor stretched his arms out wide, a smile on his face, "Brother!"

The boy's wet eyes darted between the men in the room. He knew none of them...had no reason to trust any of them. He had to find his mother and father. They would make everything okay again. He struggled for a moment to find his concentration. The warrior's eyes widened across the room as if he knew what was about to happen. "Loki, no!"

Too late. The boy had disappeared.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N Hello to all those who are reading! Two updates in two days? Yeah, it happened. Comments? Suggestions? Flaming piles of hate to sling at me? Let me know with a review if, you know, that's what you would like to do. :)

The plot shall move forward soon (yes, yes, there actually is a plot)...I'm just having fun playing with these fine, fine characters at the moment.

**OoOoOoO**

No one moved. A moment ticked by followed by a second which stretched into a third. Finally, after several mouth's opened and closed, four pairs of eyes widened and then blinked in disbelief, and one very angry Thunder God let spill a torrent of curses in old Norse that would make sailors blush had they spoken the language, Tony cleared his throat and motioned to the center of the room. "Was he able to do that when, well, when he was that age before? Seems a little advance for a toddler."

"My brother possessed the ability to travel small distances at this age but I know not where he would travel in this realm. He knows no one outside of myself and even then, I fear he does not recognize me." Thor shook his head sadly, the anger having drained out of him almost entirely.

"_Sir, If I may..."_

"Not now, Jarvis. Thor, can you think of anywhere he might go? Anything he might be partial to?"

"I can not. He has always enjoyed books but I know not if he knows where the local book keep may be located. I fear he may be lost to me once again." Thor's head remained bowed in sadness as Clint placed a comforting head on his shoulder.

"Great. So now on top of all this other shit, we have a crazed, miniaturized super-villain running around the city?" Fury choked down the childish urge to stomp his foot in frustration, "Daniels, I hold you directly responsible for this! What were you thinking?"

"It's Loki! Chances are that psycho is the one behind this whole mess to begin with!" The agent stood and raged at Fury.

"I warned you, Daniels!" Thor pointed his hammer at Daniels and took a step forward. "You dare harm a Prince of Asgard and expect to live? You shall pay dearly for..."

"Sir, I really must insist." The AI spoke up again, actually sounding annoyed this time.

"Jarvis, we're a little busy at the..."

"_Loki is currently on the forth floor, the third bedroom located on the right past the elevator."_

"Thank you, Jarvis!" Tony clapped his hands together in delight. "Good news, no one has to die in my lounge!"

"Daniels, you and I will be having a talk once we get to base." Fury pointed in the man's face and Daniels had the good grace to look ashamed and nervous.

"Right, so, why don't we go calm down the kid and try to figure this out before anything else unfortunate happens..." Clint replaced his arrow into the quiver and then moved out of the room, not looking back to ensure the others were following but knowing just the same that they were.

**OoOoOoOoO**

"Brother?" Thor questioned as he entered the dimly lit bedroom. "Are you here?"

There was no answer.

"Jarvis?" Tony piped in from the doorway. Clint and Fury remained in the hallway.

"_Under the bed, sir."_

"Brother, you have no reason to remain hidden. Daniels has been taken care of and can no longer injure you. Will you not come out and face me?" Thor tried to quiet his voice and make it more soothing but some how, the attempt didn't work in the slightest.

No answer.

"Brother, I do not want to have to pull you from beneath the bed but I will if you do not emerge on your own!"

An almost inaudible voice piped up from beneath the bed, "You are not my brother."

Thor's eyes widened in shock. It was one thing to here an angry, adult Loki shout those words during battle but it was another thing to hear them from such a young voice, spoken with such conviction. Thor said nothing as he walked out of the room, but disappointment was clearly etched into every line on his face.

Tony sighed as he watched Thor go, contemplating if he should follow the disappointed immortal or try his luck with the boy under the bed. Clint spun on his heel and quickly followed after Thor, virtually making up Tony's mind for him...one on one it was. He spared a glance for Fury, "I'll try my luck with him. You staying here?"

"I'm not going anywhere, Stark. If I hear anything I don't like, I'm busting the door down."

_You break it, you bought it. _He tried to choke out the words but it wasn't happening. He settled on a wry smile as he quietly closed the door between them. He turned slowly and regarded the bed. "Loki?"

No answer. _Why would there be?_

He moved next to the bed and slowly sank down so that he was sitting beside it, "I'll sit here all day. I really don't have anything else to do right now." _Except, maybe, figuring out how to reverse the work of a mental sorceress...and getting completely pissed drunk._

Minutes stretched into nearly an hour. Tony's ass was starting to get cramped and his eyes were starting to feel heavy but he'd be damned if he was going to be outwitted by a little kid.

His under-utilized patience paid off.

"Why does the warrior refer to himself as my brother?" The small voice was more cultured than it had any right to be.

Tony smiled softly at his small victory over the boy. "Because he _is_ your brother."

"Thor is my brother."

"Yes, he is. The warrior is Thor." Tony shot back, kind of glad that he would get to tell the Thunder God that the kid actually did think of him as a brother...he just didn't relate his current form to that of the Thor he was familiar with.

A small, dark head poked out from under the bed and looked up at Tony. "Thor is close to my own age. The man is telling you lies if he claims to be my brother."

Tony reached out and grabbed the boy by the arms and hauled him out from beneath the bed before he could struggle. "Easy there, okay? I'm not going to hurt you. Can we talk?" He paused while the big eyes regarded him. Slowly, the boy nodded. "Good. My name is Tony, by the way."

"I am Loki, son of Odin." The boy placed his fist against his chest and bowed slightly. "Are you a warrior?"

"Not exactly. We'll talk about that later." He inhaled as deeply as he could and then blew the air out slowly as he prepared to launch into the story. "There was a woman...a sorceress. This woman, I don't know why she did this but, she decided she'd come down here and cause a little havoc. This morning, you were a grown man. She transformed you back into a child..."

"Forgive my interruption. Why would she do such a thing? Where is here? What realm is this?" His eyebrows scrunched together in confusion, a trait he apparently kept until adulthood.

"I think...she said something about how you weren't happy as adult and she wanted to send you back to a time that you were. She cast a number of spells on several...uh...fine warriors. As for where we are, I believe you call it Midgard. New York City to be exact."

"Why was I not happy as an adult? Is that the reason those men were angry with me?" His face returned to a blank mask. That in and of itself, struck a bit of sadness into Tony's own heart. The mannerisms of the adult Loki were very clear in this boy already. What reason would a kid so small have to hide his emotions?

"We don't need to talk about that just yet, I don't think. Do you understand what I am telling you though?"

"Of course, Tony Stark." He smiled slightly and then continued, "Now, may I have an audience with my mother and father?"

"um...they aren't here. You and Thor were here on your own." Tony didn't like where this was going.

"May we contact Heimdall and open the Bifrost?" His voice was hopeful but his face remained blank.

"uh...I don't...maybe we should discuss this with Thor." _Pass the buck, Stark, pass it and don't ask for change._

"I think I shall like to speak with him and see what sort of warrior my brother has grown into. Am I a warrior as well, Tony Stark?" The boy stood and Tony finally got a decent look at him. He was thin and tall, just like his adult form. His face however, didn't hold the malicious anger and malcontent that it would as an adult. His green eyes were large and inquisitive, searching for knowledge. Tony could relate to that. When he himself were this age, everything was a puzzle that needed to be solved.

"You were...yes, you were a warrior. You wielded magic as well as many weapons in the battles I saw you fight." _We won't discuss the fact that I fought against you in those battles. Not the time or the place, mini-Reindeer Games._

"And what weapons do you wield in battle, Tony St-"

Tony interrupted him with a slightly raised hand, "Tony, is fine. Would you like to see my weapon?"

The boy's face spread into a toothy smile, "I should like that very much, Tony. Shall we speak with my brother first?"

The smile was infectious and Tony returned it, "Yes, yes, I think we shall."

The Thunder God would soon be pleased.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N Thankers for the favorites/reviews/follows! Sorry for the delay...my puppy apparently thought the adapter for my laptop would be a delicious snack.

Here is the part of the story where you come in! I know where this story is going (I have it all mapped out) but I haven't quite decided who I want to be the "father figure" type character yet. Shall it be Tony? Bruce? Thor? Steve? Fury? Clint? Vote in a review (or message me if you'd really like to) and I'll let you make the decision for me. :)

**OoOoOoOoO**

"Thor?" Tony caught sight of the Thunder God as soon as he rounded the corner into the kitchen. The man looked positively devastated.

"I am not in the mood for company, Tony Stark." He took a bite of a blueberry Poptart and swallowed it back with a mouth full of chocolate milk. Tony personally preferred vodka chased with rum when he was feeling low, but to each their own.

"I think you may be in the mood for this. You see, I think there was perhaps a little...well, a big, misunderstanding earlier and I have someone here who would like to clear it up with you." Tony led the boy into the kitchen so that Thor could clearly see whom he was referring. "Loki, do you have something you'd like to say?"

Loki looked up at Tony with wide eyes before stepping closer to Thor, "My apologies. I did not realize that my actions would upset you. Tony has informed me that you were offended by my stating that you were not my brother. Pray, sir, I did not mean any harm by it. The brother I know is near my own age and I did not recognize him behind the face of an adult warrior. I really didn't mean..." but the boy was cut off as his little face was smothered into the chest of a very pleased Norse God.

"Oh, brother! It warms my heart to hear you speak such words!" He squeezed the boy harder until he was pushing against him trying to free his nose to find some air.

"I am glad I could clear up the misunderstanding." Loki said when he was finally able to breathe in enough air to speak, "I would find it a great honor if we could speak in depth about the many glorious battles in which you must have participated.."

"Oh, my dear brother, I would be honored to share battle tales with you but first..."

"But first," A still angry looking Nick Fury interrupted, "Meeting in the conference room. Now."

"I think he means NOW." Tony narrowed his eyes at the brothers playfully and shook his head in mock disapproval before they followed Fury out of the room.

**OoOoOoOoO**

"So, Earth's mightiest warriors have some how managed to piss off some magical harpie from some distant planet. Impressive. Usually the people you piss off are at least confined to this solar system." Fury spoke, arms crossed in anger, as soon as the last team member was in their seat around the table.

"I thought she was pretty." Tasha shrugged.

"Can it, Romanoff. The world isn't full of unicorns." Clint spoke from his seat to Fury's left. Fury glanced at him, eyebrows raised but said nothing.

"I don't think she was pissed off at us..." Bruce spoke up shyly. "I think she was trying to help us."

"Yeah? What makes you say that? Cause the way I see it? I got one agent who is acting like a lovestruck teenager and another that can't control his emotions at all. I have Tony Stark who, as much as I'd like for him to keep his mouth shut, can't go ten minutes without sputtering on whatever nonsense is running through his mind that can't escape through his big mouth. I have a super soldier who wants to pet the unicorns with Romanoff all day. I have a demigod villain who is barely out of diapers. His brother, well, he knows no lies and you...what was it that you were given again?"

"Control over my life!" Bruce hollers as he slams a fist on the table. The team members who are currently capable of the emotion, watch Bruce warily, looking for any sign of green skin.

"Friend, Bruce..."

"It's fine, Thor. That's what I'm saying. I haven't felt the other guy trying to get out at all but earlier in the bathroom...I...I don't know what made me try it but..." And suddenly, where there once stood a meek, dark-haired scientist, now stood a gigantic, green, monster.

Loki bolted for the kitchen, eyes wide with fear. Thor followed closely behind, "He will not bring harm to you, brother!"

Natasha smiled dreamily, "Green suits him, don't you think?"

Fury drew his gun but didn't aim it and next to him, Clint did the same with his bow and arrow. "Calm yourself, Banner," Fury spoke is mock tranquility.

"I am calm." The soft voice of Bruce Banner coming from the mouth of the Hulk was startling to say the least. "That's what I'm trying to say...I can control it." And suddenly, he was Banner again. Pulling on the suit jacket draped on the chair behind him. "I have a chance at a normal life because...because..." And then he is gone. Rushing from the room to hide his tears.

"That was just beautiful!" Clint weeps and then he is rushing from the room as well.

"Well then, that pretty much proves my point. We're up one on Banner, up one on Stark, down one on Barton, down one on Romanoff, down one on Rogers, and who the hell knows about Thor since he's too busy playing babysitter to stay put for five minutes!"

"Look, none of us are incapacitated. I can still suit up, Banner is still a rage monster, Clint can still string a bow, Steve can still hold his shield, Natasha can still wield a knife, and Thor can still swing a hammer. Maybe this will all blow over before any of us are needed but if not, well, we'll jump that hurdle when it comes." Tony looks like he wants to vomit by the end of the sentence.

Fury smirks, "How much did it hurt to choke that out without any of your witty little nick names?" He smirks again at the glare he receives in response, "Try to straighten up your team, Stark. S.H.I.E.L.D will leave the tower for now but I expect to be notified the moment anything goes amiss." And with a final dramatic swoop of his leather trench coat, he is storming from the room, a horde of agents following in his wake.

"Well, that went over well!" Steve smiles genuinely after they are all gone. "Shall we see what is happening with Thor and Loki? Maybe we can all watch a movie together!"

Tony clenches his jaw at the sarcasm that wants to, but can't spew out of his mouth and then simply nods. He silently bets himself a new car that whatever movie the Captain chooses will be a. animated and b. star fluffy little animals.

They enter the kitchen side-by-side and find a rather amusing sight. Thor has the entire upper half of his very large body shoved inside of a cabinet that was certainly not meant to hold anything of such mass. "Loki, brother, the monster is not the green uncle of the Frost Giants. He is simply a scientist who turns into a friendly beast. He shall not harm you!"

"He has you fooled, brother!" A small voice comes from within the cupboard, "I shall come out and he shall eat me! I shall be an appetizer for him before he devours you!"

_Nice ass, Thor._ That of course, does not manage to work past Tony's lips as he stares at the wiggling derriere protruding from the cupboard. He sputters a moment before settling on, "Need any help?"

"Tell him we can watch Lady and the Tramp if he comes out!" Steve is almost jumping for joy. Tony rolls his eyes and then mentally begins choosing the new car he is going to purchase himself.

"Brother, would you like to see a box full of moving, tiny people? It is Midgardian magic!"

"They have magic on Midgard?" The disembodied voice is skeptical but intrigued.

"Of course we do!" Tony calls out because if he can't choke out the sarcasm, at least he can mess with the mind of a tiny Loki. "The boxes are full of people and even colored animals! We are going to watch a story about two dogs and some bitchy cats!"

Thor narrows his eyes at the lie about the TV but doesn't mention it out loud. "I don't think we should teach him the word 'bitchy'."

Tony shrugs his apology and then points to the cabinet where a small head is emerging. "Can we really watch a moving story? I should think I would enjoy seeing such a sight. Is the green giant going to be there?"

"He's not green anymore!" Steve chirps and then frowns, "You're covered in peanut butter." His frown quickly reverts into a beaming smile, "That looks like fun!"

"You're not doing it too." An image of Steve covered in chunky peanut butter runs through his mind and Tony mentally shudders. "uh, I think he needs a shower first, Thor."

"Yes, I believe so. How did you come to be covered in this substance, brother?"

Loki blushes, "It smelled quite foul and I thought it would keep the beast away."

"Smells foul? Peanut butter? It's delicious!" Steve laughs and everyone else eyes him warily.

Thor speaks as they headed for the nearest shower-equipped bathroom."My brother had a very peculiar appetite at this age. The only food I can remember our mother being able to get him to consume is grapes. Grapes and water."

"I like grapes and water." Loki answers quietly as they step into the bathroom. Steve fishes around for a towel and some shampoo while Tony gives Loki a quick lesson on how to control the shower. Thor leaves to track down some clean clothes that will fit a seven-year-old as Tony and Steve move into the hallway and close the door behind them. They decide to wait in the next room, a spare bedroom, so Loki can easily find them after his shower. Thor just reaches the room where they are sitting when they hear the screaming coming from the bathroom.

In all the world, three men have never rushed into a bathroom together more quickly.

"Brother! What is wrong!?" Thor yanks back the curtain and wraps the towel around Loki as he pulls him from the tub.

"Some villain has replaced the hair soap with a poison most foul!" Loki screeches as he rubs at his eyes.

Steve grabs the shampoo bottle from the floor of the tub where it has been dropped and sniffs the contents, "It's just normal shampoo...Herbal Essences."

"It's burning my eyes!" Loki shrieks more loudly than before as Thor tries to gently pull his arms down to prevent him from injuring his eyes.

Tony sighs at the drama, "Jarvis, add tear-free shampoo to the shopping list."


End file.
